Rarely-Seen Pics Show More Private Side Of Princess Diana's Upbringing

May 26, 2021

Princess Diana was universally loved by not only the British public but by people the world over. She used her influence to enact good, spending much of her time campaigning for humanitarian causes that improved the lives of others. She sat with people who were ill, helping to break the stigma of the then-new diseases HIV and AIDS. These are the reasons she became known as the "People's Princess" — she was a shining beacon of light in the royal family. 

It's been nearly 24 years since she tragically passed away, but whenever we see photos of her it's still incredibly moving. This is a testament to how much the public adored her, and she's still often talked about and even featured in the media, whether for her charitable deeds or impeccable fashion sense.

We've seen thousands of photos of Diana, and they never fail to move us. With her signature coiffed hair, appreciation of bright patterns, admiration for creative necklaces and ability to make any dress look classy, everyone can admit that Princess Diana was a fashion icon. Still considered one of the greats of fashion, Princess Diana was ahead of the curve much of the time, as she worked with the best in the fields of hairstyling, makeup, and fashion.

In a book titled "Remembering Diana: A Life in Photographs," author Tina Brown lets us in on the early life of Lady Diana Frances Spencer who became Diana, Princess of Wales. Published in 2017, the book also contains more than 100 images from Diana's life.

Little Diana was born to a family with 500 years of nobility. Her upbringing was posh, but it wasn't always happy.

It is revealed in the book that her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, left her father, John Spencer, then Viscount Althorp, for another man. Her mother had been 18 at the time of her marriage to the Viscount, who was 12 years her senior. According to comments made by friends and family, the marriage had left Diana's mother deeply unhappy. One of the things Kydd struggled with was the pressure to produce a male heir, still considered an important detail at the time. After the death of her firstborn son and the birth of two daughters, the Spencer family even convinced her to visit a gynecologist "to see why she produced only healthy girls." This pressure and these doctor visits were what eventually eroded the marriage. 

Despite this tragedy, the earlier images of Princess Diana featured in the book showcase the humanity of the girl who would become the "People's Princess" later in her life. Viscount Spencer retained custody over his children and raised Diana and her siblings in their countryside home.

Diana was born into an aristocratic family, and Queen Elizabeth even attended her parents' wedding. After her parents divorced, she was left to live mostly with her father, though according to the book, he apparently left her to the care of nannies and boarding schools. 

Early in her childhood, she and her family lived in a rented property on the Queen's estate, according to the BBC.

"She was quite a lovable child," au pair Inge Crane told CNN. "She was very, very cuddly."

Her younger brother, Charles, shared that she started exhibiting a spirit of giving and "fighting for good causes" at a young age, as reported by People magazine.

Though she had a keen sense of style from an early age, the little fashionista's childhood dream was to be married and to be a mom.

"Diana's dreams all through her childhood really were just to be happily married and to have a large family," nanny Mary Clarke told CNN.

“She loved animals when she was a child,” her mother said in a book by Sarah Bradford called Diana. “She loved everything that was small and furry or had feathers.”

Diana learned to ride horses before she was four, but after she broke her arm in a riding accident, her love for it diminished. Still, her empathy for all living creatures would be a hallmark of her life.

"Diana deserves a place in history," her brother Charles said when she passed.

"This was a special person, and not just a beautiful one."

Diana wore this all-black Christina Stambolian ‘revenge dress’ to the Serpentine Gallery summer party in 1994, the same night Prince Charles admitted to having an affair with Camilla. This was considered legendary at the time. Be sure to pass this story along to your friends and family.